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Like Interstellar, we’ve been following the upcoming Civil Rights drama Selma for some time now, and this week we’ll finally see it open in theaters. Starring David Oyelowo (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Interstellar) as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the film comes from producer Oprah Winfrey and director Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere, Scandal) about King’s epic march between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama at the height of the Civil Rights movement in 1965. Making up the supporting cast are actors Cuba Gooding Jr. (Pearl Harbor, American Gangster), Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction), Carmen Ejogo (Away We Go, The Purge: Anarchy), Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now, Bobby), and Tom Wilkinson (The Patriot, Rush Hour) as President Lyndon B. Johnson. While the film chronicles the events of the march historically, writer Paul Webb also delves into the character of King as a person, showing him not only as the leader of a powerful movement but also as a man with his own trials and tribulations. Selma has already been nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (David Oyelowo) and also Best Original Song for Common and John Legend‘s Glory (Common will also be seen in the movie!). You can see the trailer above, then definitely add this to your Must-See list. Also opening this week is Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice and Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen‘s Taken 3, so you have plenty of options for this weekend…choose wisely!

Iconic film director Stanley Kubrick, who died in 1999, is behind some of the most memorable films of the twentieth century, including 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), and Full Metal Jacket (1987), and has worked with actors like Jack Nicholson, R. Lee Ermey, Adam Baldwin, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Cruise, and Nicole Kidman. Known for his obsessive style of moviemaking, the director received critical acclaim throughout the course of his career, not only for his unique style of story-telling, but also for his attention to detail. That being said, he could also be credited as one of Hollywood’s most unrecognized directors, receiving more than 10 Oscar nominations but only securing one in 1968 for Best Visual Effects (2001: A Space Odyssey), with four additional Golden Globe nominations, but no wins. Despite all that, Kubrick has still managed to maintain a strong influence on modern filmmakers more than a decade after his death, including The Dark Knight and Inception director Christopher Nolan, whose new film, Interstellar, has been cited as a modern day 2001 by many critics and movie-goers. Now Kubrick’s legacy is being celebrated with a new DVD/Blu-Ray 10-disc box-set titled Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection, due out in stores this December 2nd. The set not only includes 10 of Kubrick’s iconic collection, including Lolita (1962), Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), and his final film Eyes Wide Shut (1999), it also includes new special features like behind-the-scenes documentaries and interviews. So if you’re a fan of Kubrick’s you should definitely add this to your Christmas list.

Paramount Pictures has found a replacement director for their Civil Rights drama Selma after Lee Daniels (The Butler, Precious) backed away from the project. Ava DuVernay, who has served as publicity specialist on projects like The Help, Rush Hour 3, and Spider-Man 2, has taken the job after just directing her own episode of Scandal. The film revolves around the “Bloody Sunday” civil rights marches that happened in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 and has Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, The Incredible Hulk) set to star as Senator George Wallace, Tom Wilkinson (The Patriot, Michael Clayton) as President Lyndon Johnson, and David Oyelowo (The Last King of Scotland, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Senator George Wallace is famous for his extreme opposition to banishing segregation in the United States; he famously stood in front of the doors at the University of Alabama in an effort to block newly admitted black students from entering, and when the Selma marches began the politician ordered state troopers to stop the first waves of marchers by beating them, stirring national attention and building great support for desegregation. No word yet on when this one is expected to hit theaters, but we’ll keep you informed.

Forrest Gump was first published as a novel in 1986 by author Winston Groom. The book was then adapted into the award winning film by director Robert Zemeckis and actor Tom Hanks in 1994, in what is probably his most famous role to date. The story follows Forrest Gump, a southern man with an IQ of 75, and his lifelong friend Jenny Curran as they live out the course of their lives in the turbulent latter half of twentieth century America. Beginning in the 1950s with Elvis Presley and the early Civil Rights demonstrations, Forrest goes on to play college football, become a war hero in Vietnam, go to China as an international ping-pong player, and run across the United States for 3 years, ending up in the 1980s and the Reagan administration.

The movie costars Gary Sinise, Robin Wright, and Sally Field, and features appearances by some noteworthy historical figures such as JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, George Wallace, Dick Cavett, John Lennon, and Abbey Hoffman thanks to the film’s award winning visual effects. Hanks’ portrayal of the character won him an Academy Award for Best Actor, but his adaptation was much softer than the author originally envisioned. The movie won 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Film Editing and Visual Effects. Since it was first released in 1994 the movie has become a cultural phenomenon and is known as one of Tom Hanks most famous roles. Hanks and Zemeckis reunited for Cast Away in 2000, which also earned Hanks another Oscar nomination. Forrest Gump will turn 20 years old this July, so be sure to celebrate sometime this year.